What will life be like for the church in 2020?

I was asked by Charisma Magazine in the USA to respond to the question: What will life be like for the church in 2020? I thought you might be interested in seeing my reply below.

Heading towards financial, moral and social bankruptcy it is hard to be optimistic about the future of Britain. Yet amid the gloom, I see rays of encouragement and hope. My predictions?

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Here is J.John’s contribution to Premier’s Thought of the Day, which were recorded at Premier in January 2010. This goes out each weekday morning in their Breakfast Show.

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Where is God? God and the Haiti Earthquake

Where is God? That question is an understandable reaction to the appalling earthquake in Haiti where on January 10, 2010 around 200,000 people died in under a minute. A second question follows upon it: how can anyone believe – or even want to believe – in a God who can crumble houses onto families, topple hospitals onto patients and collapse schools on children? Here we face the old challenge of the sceptic: if, as we Christians claim, God is both all-powerful and good then why did this happen? Surely, they say, only one of two conclusions is possible and neither leaves the idea of the Christian God intact. Either we must conclude that God couldn't stop the earthquake happening, in which case he isn't all-powerful or he wouldn't stop it happening, in which case he isn't good.

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What, in the briefest terms, is the parable of the Prodigal all about? The answer is that it is a celebration of grace. If we define grace as ‘unconditional kindness given to an undeserving recipient at an uncomfortable cost’, we see that the parable illustrates all three aspects. We see in the younger son someone who is utterly undeserving. We see in the father, both in the gift of unconditional kindness and in the way he humiliates himself to bring the rebellious son back into the family, something of the uncomfortable cost of grace. These clearly show aspects of how God – Father, Son and Spirit – sacrificially pours out his love on us.

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Did you know that most people’s anxiety is focused and preoccupied with 40% of things that will never happen, 30% of things relating to the past that can’t be changed, 12% of things relating to other people’s criticism, which is generally untrue, and 10% of things relating to health, which often gets worse with stress and negative thinking. Only 8% of the time do they worry about real concerns that will need to be faced. So, if only about 8% of all the issues in our lives really turn out to be ‘something’ why is it that we spend so much time worrying and being highly anxious and stressed about all the rest?

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By J.John

How can a God of love allow suffering? Have you ever wondered this? Ever considered what his response to such pain might be? Ever tried to close the gaping hole in the paradox of love and sovereignty vs. pointless, undeserved hardship? For some this question is too big, the gap remains too wide and it’s used as evidence against a loving God’s existence. All the best apologetics and theological arguments still sound hollow against the tapestry of painful experience. I have to confess that even if my brain does understand, my heart can be left wanting.

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There is an old proverb, which says: ‘Trust in God, but tie your camel.’ It acknowledges the tension we often experience when we talk about trust – what is God’s part and what is our part? When does trust mean that we do nothing except let go and sit and wait for God? And when does trust mean that we become active and make some plans and start to do things and allow God to empower and guide while we are in motion?

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